Why visit Kontagora
Townapedia lists 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Federal College of Education, Kontagora.
Weather in Kontagora
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Kontagora
Kontagora is a major town on the south bank of the Kontagora River in north-west Niger State, Nigeria. It is the capital city of the Kontagora Emirate.
From the Wikipedia article Kontagora (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Kontagora on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do1
Federal College of Education, Kontagora
School
College of education in Nigeria
Healthcare2
History
Kontagora was founded by Umaru Nagwamatse, after conquering a large amount of land owned by non-Muslim Kambaris. Umaru then set up Kontagora as the kingdom’s capital in 1864, making himself the first emir of Kontagora. Throughout Umaru’s rule, he greatly expanded the emirate. When his son Ibrahim Nagwamatse became emir in 1880, the emirates became notorious for slave-raids that left the area severely under-populated. This left the area with many abandoned villages, despite a state sponsored re-populated plan in between 1949 and 1956. In 1899, Ibrahim captured the town of Birnin Gwari, causing the emirate of Zaria to get help from the British. Ibrahim threatened the British base in Jebba, causing the British to capture Kontagora city in 1901. When Ibrahim was reinstated as emir in 1903, his power was greatly reduced.
From the History section of Kontagora on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map of Kontagora
3 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
- Ibeto 37 km west, about 37 min by car
- Ukata 61 km northeast, about 1 h by car
- Rijau 81 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Bin Yauri 84 km northwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Auna 85 km west, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Tegina 87 km southeast, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Nagwamatse roundabout in Kontagora, Kambai Akau, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Self reliance, Hassan Sa'idu Babangida, CC0
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.